Titans Dynamics
by LadyHood
Summary: One early morning adventure throws Raven into an alternate reality of what she currently calls home: Earth. But when she grows to be accepted there, will she choose to go back to the Titans, or stay where she is?
1. The Adventure Begins

Titans Dynamics

A long shrill wail echoed throughout the hallways and into the night, shattering any chances of a successful and comfortable sleep. Grumbling something softly, most likely a curse, the teenager jumped out of his bed and realized something just before he opened his door. His eyes were not concealed. If they saw through those pupils of endless tragedy, hopeless despair…

Of all, he knew that a violet haired sorceress would understand his pain. She had gone through as much, or even more difficulties through her childhood, and as much as they hated to say it, there was probably more to come. The black haired boy mumbled something sorrowfully. Raven could often mask her real emotions with what her friends hoped she felt. She always hid behind the deadpan face, her secrets left to be explored, if admitted. But Raven was not one to open up to anyone, not even himself, the team leader, and that was that.

Robin slipped on his mask, and took a quick glance at the digital clock before rushing through the door. It read 2:00am. He swore under his breath. This had better be worth it…

He made it to the main room first, where he would give a quick analysis to his team and then they would depart. The alarm continuously flared red, singing off the siren in high shrill notes. A black shadow appeared on the floor beside him and rose up in the form of a black bird.

It reverted to its original form; violet hair with two piercing orbs of the same color to match. Her navy cloak swirled casually around her as she floated a few inches off the ground, apparently it didn't require an air source to move. The medallion that pinned the cloak together gleamed as it flashed red with the alarm, its gold sparkling with each beep. A small opening within the cloak revealed that she had crossed her arms and was waiting patiently for the others' arrival. The sequence in which the titans came always seemed to be the same, with the exception of either Robin or Raven arriving first.

The automatic doors behind Raven opened and the area of the elevator was in eyesight. On its surface stood a teenager in his later years. But unlike Robin, he wasn't entirely human. He was half machine. The cybernetic blue parts that made up most of his persona glowed with the energy that flowed within them. He moved forward in a strong, long stride, his strength easily noted by the muscle trims on his African skin and the mechanical parts surrounding it. He was Victor Stone, codename Cyborg. Nodding respectfully to the two co-founders of the team, Cyborg stopped at Raven's other side, his own arms now crossing like the maiden's beside him.

A swoosh announced the arrival of the next member of the team, a valiant beauty that flew before them. She was a joy that the earth had never experienced before; she came from the distant planet of Tamaran. She was very calm and elegant in her nature, and she landed gracefully before Robin with a small smile at the lips. She was Princess Koriand'r, or as most knew her, Starfire. Though very naïve when it came to earth's cultures and customs, she wasn't daft. Her intellect far surpassed that of a normal human being, capable of naming the dynamics of an element or atom without much thought. Her emerald green eyes shone with a brilliance that none could quite describe; inspiration and excitement filling her gaze. Though their line of duty was danger and sometimes even life threatening, it gave her a sense of righteousness and justice that kept her character in check.

The quartet waited in silence for a minute, all staring at the ground and waiting, listening to the alarm in the background. It would only be shut off when the team was united and ready to go. The absence of the final member did not surprise them, as this happened occasionally when the alarm began in the early morning. Or late night, whichever you prefer. Robin tapped his foot impatiently. It had already been four minutes since his own rude awakening, his temperament was not as relaxed as usual. He was about to open his communicator and yell at the final teammate to hurry up when he noticed that the levitating girl beside him no longer had violet orbs staring into space. It had gone an eerie white, and another black shadow formed in front of the group. The black bird formed once more and gave a mighty cry before flapping its wings and heaving upwards. The party hung along in silence as they heard the distressful sounds of their last bickering teammate.

"Raven! Awww, come on, let me go! Dudes, tell her to leave me alone!" His tone complained about how rushed he was, it had become quite a routine in the past few days. Raven made her spiritual form dump him on the ground and he landed with a slight groan. He stood up and dusted himself, and the flaring of the alarm finally stopped.

He stood before them with a small, humorous grin on his face. He was the mischief maker and king of the lame random jokes. Not many understood his humor, as it was quite whacked, but all accepted him for who he was, though Raven had been tempted more than once to just throw him out the window.

Out of all of them, he was the youngest, and though he had grown in the recent months, Raven still succeeded him in height and just about everything else as well. He was certain and even made an oath to himself that someday, he would be taller than Robin. It was a somewhat stale hope, as the boy wonder was quite a few inches taller than him, but somehow, he would manage it. He could only dream to be as tall as Starfire or Cyborg.

His green eyes flashed as he remembered that day in front of the mirror, flexing his muscles and imagining himself to be taller. His arms were stringy in a sense, but he had a lot of strength within his other forms. He could change into other animals. A changeling. And unlike most of the human race, he was green. He was Garfield Logan, codename Beast Boy.

"Well, its 2:05 in the bloody morning! Who's the culprit?" Beast Boy asked, his tone hinting traces of annoyance. Raven sensed this, and rolled her eyes. He was always late, yet he always seemed to retain his original sense of… Raven paused. Sense of what? Laziness? She sighed. Her mind often thought cruel things at night, as she never really was able to get to sleep lately. Nightmares and visions haunted her mindscape, tearing her calm demeanor apart…

Character, she decided. That was the best way to describe it. Starfire slightly giggled at his expression and Beast Boy blinked in confusion. Robin typed some words on the keyboard. Robin stared in silence at the answer for a few moments.

"Well?" Beast Boy questioned, staring at the black cape of his leader.

"Its…" Robin started, putting the picture onscreen.

"A portal." Raven stated simply.

--------------------------

"Raven, can you track where it's coming from?"

"Earth."

"That's not funny, Rae."

"I'm serious."

"We shall make with the haste, yes?"

"Yeah, Star."

"Raven, can you be more specific?"

"It's another dimension parallel to our own which just happens to be called Earth and has the exact qualities and features that this one does."

"…"

"Really?"

"Yes!" Raven shouted in frustration, and closed her communicator. They could be such idiots at times. She floated over the city, determining the location of the swirling vortex. Though the local authorities had said there seemed to be a random black hole type thing in the streets, they hadn't said where. She bit back her annoyance and sighed. They could be so useless.

"Rae, you there?"

"Beast Boy, I believe you have angered our friend."

"Me? Boy wonder over here was the one that questioned her answer."

"I just needed to know, all right?"

"But still… You asked Raven and she gave you an honest reply."

"Robin was only trying to be sure, friend Beast Boy."

"You guys just don't get it, do you?"

"Apparently not. Please explain."

Ouch. He really didn't know how he could explain his feelings and thoughts on the matter. It was just… there. For the past few weeks, he had a weird emotion appear every time he was around the silent teen. It was quite new and awkward, making him stutter when he attempted to dialogue with her. It had become quite a daily exercise, and he actually took some of his spare time just to try to fix this new dilemma. He hoped that she didn't notice, but he was sure that hardly anything could escape her protruding gaze. Raven was an expert on listening and reading emotions like an open book. It was quite simple for her, as being an empath was one of her qualities.

His silence revealed that he really didn't know what to say, or how to explain it. The others quieted down, and then realized something. After all this time, Cyborg hadn't spoken once.

"Hey Cy, you doing okay?"

"Friend Cyborg, please respond."

"Cyborg, answer us. Are you there?"

Fuzz and static…

"Cyborg?"

"Hi, you've reached Cyborg's pimp my telephone hotline. I'm not available at the moment because I'm either kicking butt, sleeping, or in trouble with some other dimensional creature that you've never even heard of-" There is a short pause. "Eh, just leave a message after the beep. BEEP!"

"That's… interesting…"

"Please, why does he refer his cybernetic arm telephone as a "Pimp my telephone hotline"?"

"Bwahhahhahahhahhahahhahhahahaha!" Beast Boy couldn't help it, the way she phrased it was hilarious, plus her obvious confusion didn't help matters.

"He's just being creative, Star…" There was a pause. "I hope."

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Raven made a soft landing on 51st street, for she had finally found the portal swirling just in front of her. She had seen the T-Car on its way here, so she already knew that Cyborg had detected it as well. She stood there for what seemed to be 10 minutes, taking hardly any interest in the fact that none of the other titans had tried to buzz her. Peculiar, as they always tended to bug her on it…

She flipped the communicator's top up and down, up and down. After doing this 10 times, she grew aggravated and attempted to call somebody.

"What is taking you all so long? HELLO, anybody home?" She blinked, realizing how out of character that sounded. Who really cared anyway. "I'm on 51st street, the portal is in front of me and none of you are here… Typical."

More silence, and faint traces of fuzz and static. Figures how useless these devices were…

She took a step forwards, and a large cracking sound occurred. She looked down to see that the earth had split under where she had walked on it. _Okay… I'II levitate. _She had barely made it a few inches off of the ground before she was thrust downwards again, hitting the pavement hard.

"Ouch." She tried to hide the pain in the simple word, but failed. Her head started throbbing. She struggled to get up and realized that she couldn't. Why were the sky and buildings going past her?

"Raven!" A distant voice yelled, and she instantly recognized it as Cyborg. "Hold on, I'll save ya!" _Save?_

She then noticed that her ankles had gone numb, too cold to feel anything. She took a chance and looked at them, and swore. Purple tendrils had wrapped around them and were dragging her ever closer to the portal…

"Cyborg, wait!" She yelled, a moment too late. He let out a cry and pumped out sonic energy from his cannon, blasting the tendrils to bits. Her movement stopped and she was left staring at the sky, without any blur.

"Told you I'd save you." Cyborg stated proudly, offering her a hand. She blinked in temporary confusion. Was her hypothesis wrong?

If only she were. It was over before it began. Raven was zapped and blacked out. As her consciousness faded away, she heard a thump and cry beside her. Then it was over…

-------------------

"Rachel, come on girl, wake up! Rachel Roth, get up!" The desperate voice rang in her ears. Who was Rachel? She opened her eyes and found herself staring at a ceiling, with a slow spinning fan rotating around. She felt soft wafts of air brushing against her face. What happened? An older woman with purple strands of hair looked down sadly at the girl on the floor. Her eyes were filled with tears that threatened to spill.

"I am so, so sorry. I couldn't defend you, he pushed me out of the way and… You fainted."

Raven blinked in confusion. What?

"Who is he?"

"Are you serious?" The woman stared at Raven as if she was mad. "Your father, of course! He was drunk and was going to beat you and I-"

"Oh… I fear I can't remember." Raven cut her off. She really didn't want to know. Besides, this was probably just a dream or something.

"It's just as well, I don't want you to remember him that way. If I knew that he was going to be a drunk for the rest of his life, I wouldn't have married him… I'm so sorry Rachel!" The woman began to cry, the tears spilling down and hitting Raven's face. She flinched as one hit her eye. She rubbed it away and got up, unsure of how to comfort the woman. She was never too good with emotions…

"It's not your fault, you didn't know."

"Oh Rachel, you are always too kind, it's quite a wonder considering how your father treats you…"

Raven was getting annoyed with being called Rachel, but there was nothing really to do at the moment. She tried to grasp what happened before she blacked out. There was a thump and a cry beside her, that much she remembered. It was probably Cyborg, for he was the only titan there at the time. Everyone else was just slow…

Her mind buzzed. Everyone else. Who were they? The sudden memory loss nearly scared her. There was Cyborg, and then… then… She sighed. She really couldn't remember.. After all she had done, she couldn't remember any of it.

"Rachel, Rachel, you okay? You're blanking out on me honey…" Raven attempted to reconnect with her current situation. Rachel? Her name was Raven. Yes, it was Raven, nothing else…

"Do you think you're well enough for school? It was terrible of your father to do this on a Sunday, your night off!"

School? Raven inwardly cringed. Of all the things she had forgotten, she knew for certain that she had never been to _school_. There was no point in it for her.

"I'll be fine.. Umm… Would it be okay if I took a walk?"

"Sure, but come home soon, you seem a little… Well, lost. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes!" Raven yelled in frustration. The woman backed off and flinched, obviously hurt from the reaction. Raven realized what had happened, and apologized before going out the door. The woman watched her go, the door's closing filling her mind. _Hmm…_

_To Be Continued…_


	2. Superficial Sunday

Chapter 2: Superficial Sunday

It was a beautiful afternoon, the sun's calming rays reflecting off of store windows and sunglasses of passerby. People chatted and sang on the sidewalk, cars drove by and occasionally honked at nearby friends. In the midst of this seemingly happy settlement walked a lone girl, enshrouded in an invisible mist of mystery and despair. The exciting buzz didn't affect her in any way as she calmly walked by. Many asked her to taste their free samples, or to buy the latest breakthrough in the BLAH! Section. Pointless, so pointless…

Raven came across the city park and paused. It looked so similar to something she had visited before. Perhaps she had come here before? She showed no interest at all to the guys playing soccer and basketball in the courts nearby. Certainly there were many guys watching her, she felt their eyes piercing her back. She ignored them. Just distractions…

For a reason unknown to herself, she stopped in the center of the walkway. She tried to move forward but her legs resisted her own command. Raven tried to take this with an amused expression, but it quickly became annoying. What was she meant to see here?

To make it look like she stopped on purpose, she gave a sigh and crossed her arms, looking about for something to take interest in. She saw men in jerseys playing soccer, someone had just scored a goal… A tall man had just made a basket and was doing the windmill in victory… A squirrel had stopped a few feet in front of her to just… stare at her…

"Heads up!" A distant male voice called. Raven heard something racing through the air towards her, and instinctively she held her hands out and caught… a football.

"Whoa, nice catch! I didn't know girls could be good at football! Especially catching." The person to the voice finally appeared in front of her. He was a tall young man, older than Raven by a few years at most. His brown eyes held a mischievous spark in them, it revealed that he was one that liked to play around. Why was he so familiar?

"Cyborg?" She said out loud before she could think about it.

"Do I look cybernetic to you? Sorry girl, but I think you're looking at the wrong guy." He paused, noticing that the girl was holding the football tightly. Why would she be so stressed?

"Uh… Umm… Hey, you're that Rachel kid, right?" He said, trying to make conversation. He didn't really want to be rude and just demand for his ball back. His friends could wait. This girl seemed lost and confused, and he wanted to send her on her way respectfully.

"You could say that…" She answered in a low whisper.

"Well, aren't you?" He asked back, straining hard to not give her a demanding and confused expression.

"My mind keeps telling me that I am Raven of Jump City, yet everyone here calls me Rachel…"

"Jump City? Where's that?"

"It's located on the border of the Pacific Ocean, on the west side of America…"

"…"

Raven noticed how quiet he seemed to become.

"Would your name happen to be Victor? Victor Stone?"

"Why yes, that's what it is…" Victor murmured softly. Something was going on in his mind, for confusion was now plainly set on his face. "Uh, hey, could I have the ball back? Me and the guys need it to play, and you kinda.. erm.. have it…" Raven placed it on his offered hand and watched as he ran back to the field. She muttered something quietly to herself, something that no other could hear…

"_You are Cyborg… I just have to make you realize that._"

She walked off.

-----------------

"Hey man, what went on with you and the gal?"

"Yeah, did you snag her?"

"That wouldn't be the first time you threw a ball out of bounds and caught a woman with it."

Victor was quiet as his friends laughed merrily around him.

"Who was it anyway?"

"Dude, there's only one person with purple hair like that. Her name's Rachel Roth. She's that freaky girl at school everybody talks about. She's so stupid she doesn't even realize that she's being insulted behind her back all the time."

"She's the one with the odd set of violet eyes, right?"

"They're so creepy when she looks at you… Makes your heart freeze…"

"Shut up."

The conversation stopped and all turned to the speaker, who was Victor.

"Why you getting so defensive man? You're the one that always cracks jokes about her."

"Yeah, you called her an ice princess the other day. Don't ya remember?"

"Who the hell cares what I said the other day. Her name's Raven, not Rachel. Remember that." Victor threw the ball down hard and walked away, not caring that his friends were totally stupefied of his behavior.

"I think he did more than snag her…" A guy whispered, wiggling his eyebrows. A few snickered.

"What sick perverts we are…"

"Like we care, right?"

"Uhh… What?"

"Who?"

"…"

"…"

"Hi."

They laughed merrily at the random greeting and went back to playing football.

------------------------------

Victor Stone walked quietly back to his house, not reacting at all to the greetings shouted towards him. He was silently pondering what had just occurred. He didn't know why he stood up for Raven, it was more of an instinctive urge than a courageous deed. It didn't worry him in the least, as he had always been the leader in his friends' eyes. Tomorrow they would still be how they always were: cheerful and laid back. The only difference now would be that they would respect Rachel's solitude for what it was.

How odd it was, so simple to make people's feelings turn at one's word…

After casually unlocking and relocking the front door (his parents were rarely ever at home, they worked at S.T.A.R labs for most of the day), he plopped down on the leather couch and just sat there. He didn't move, his muscles were relaxed and spread across the cushions. What was wrong with him? After the mention of her name, Raven hadn't been out of his mind for even a minute. Those piercing violet orbs haunted his vision, aching him to listen to their story. It was embedded in confusion but a sense of knowledge that not many had.

"What am I talking about? That makes no sense." He sighed, rubbing his temples. As he stared at the blank, white ceiling, he had the ever growing impulse to hold Rachel's hand. He found himself become increasingly wary at his condition. Why was his subconscious telling him to do that?

_Maybe I will learn something from this… _He thought, grabbing a slender black remote from the coffee table in front of him. He pressed a button and the plasma screen flipped on, producing a show of cartoons. _But first, I need to relax a little._

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"Cyborg? Raven?" Their calls echoed throughout the seemingly deserted city streets. The red head bit her lip as it began to tremble. After successfully finding the T-Car left a few streets away from their current location, they had thought that all was fine. However, after Beast Boy trying connecting to Cyborg, they found that everything was not fine. Not at all. All they got was some alien sounding screech…

They tried contacting Raven but nothing happened; it was a mute response. Robin became unusually frantic as he heard this, and whipped out his own communicator. Unlike the others his had a few extra necessities on it, including the heart rate of his teammates and their current condition. He checked out Raven's…

And it was dead silent. That could only mean one thing…

"Robin, is Raven, the okay?" Starfire asked innocently, coming to float up beside him. Robin quickly whipped his communicator out of view and into his pocket.

"She's fine, but the tracker isn't working. We're going to have to search. Beast Boy, you take the west wing; Starfire, take the skies. I'll take the east side." They all nodded on the orders and went to carry out the plan.

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The day slowly faded away without many points of importance, as Raven was clearly becoming more and more lost as the day went on. Though the growing silence of the city comforted her in a way, there was also a growing sense of unease. She had no idea what the crime rate was here. Who knew what could happen at night. Just as she made her way around the corner towards home…

She slammed into a broader figure who was also rounding the corner. She fell backwards, feeling some pain from the concrete sidewalk. However she ignored this and glared up at the figure which caused this current situation to occur.

The figure itself, it happened, was no more than a teenager. His muscles were nicely trimmed and could clearly be seen from the tight shirt he wore. It was more of an attire from the 70s than present day. His jeans were slightly baggy, giving the impression of being a bad boy. The way his hair was slick and spiky further ensured the cool factor. He gave her a trademark grin and reached down to help her up.

Raven stared at the offered hand, confusion now apparent on her face. After thinking about what she could run into at night, she was almost certain that she had gotten into trouble. But the way his cocky grin came out, the look in his crystal blue eyes that revealed sincere concern and apology…

She took his hand, and was immediately hoisted back up into standing position. He stared at her shyly for a moment.

"Thanks…" She muttered, feeling indeed very awkward. She wasn't used to things like this.

"No problem, and sorry about bumping into you." The teen put his hands in his enlarged pockets and met eye contact with her violet orbs. He thought for a moment. Where had he seen this before? Ah, school.

Raven saw the way he was looking at her and felt the need to get out somehow. It was obvious in some way or another that he recognized her, and she felt hopeless that she didn't know him. Well, he did feel familiar… She just couldn't place him.

"Hey, you there?" He waved a hand in her face. She blushed slightly in embarrassment, too deep in thought to realize that he had been talking to her.

"Yes, sorry, I had just gotten a bit distracted… come again?"

"I was just wondering if you were heading home, because I could walk you there, if you wanted." He gave a small smile. Gosh, wasn't he full of them…

Raven thought about it for a moment. It would be a good idea; she didn't know where she was and now the clear night sky had come upon them. Some lights from the buildings spilled out and lighted the streets, but that didn't bring comfort in the least. She would accept, but she needed to know something first.

"I will accept, but I need to know something first. Who are you?" Raven felt that she could have worded that better, but it had already slipped out and she couldn't correct it now. The teen looked at her in some surprise. She didn't know _him_?

"I'm Richard, but I thought you'd already have known that. I mean, we _are _in the same High School and all…" Raven gave a small blush.

"Sorry, I've been forgetting a lot of things lately…" She drifted off, staring at him. Yes, he was definitely familiar to her. She had the same gust feelings that she did when she was around Victor, even though that was only for a short period of time. Perhaps if she hung around him a bit more often…

She blinked as Richard gently pulled her arm, catching her attention. She shook him off lightly and walked beside him until they had finally made it to her temporary home. They walked up to the door together and then turned to bid each other farewell.

"Thank you for helping me, Richard." Her voice tone revealed her appreciation.

"It was nothing, don't mention it." He gave a small smile, hung around the doorstep for about a minute longer before walking down the pathway to the road. "See you tomorrow!" He waved, turned a corner, and disappeared. A moment later, Raven realized that she had actually risen her hand to wave goodbye. Though she had forgotten many things from the past, another thing she hadn't forgotten was that she couldn't feel emotions, and rarely ever portrayed them.

Yet there she had just now. Raven thought about it for a moment… and smiled. Perhaps this new turn out wouldn't be that bad after all…

_To be Continued…_

**Author's Note:** As I was asked what the pairings were, I'll tell you why I haven't stated them yet. I was thinking about having it as a Robin/Starfire, Raven/Beast Boy and maybe Cyborg/somebody in the future, but then, once I got to the alternate reality, my motives changed without really intending to. I've heard the phrase love triangle often, but perhaps I shall broaden it and create the love… square. Hehe.

In this prospect I can make it to meet almost all shipping needs: in the Teen Titan universe (where Star, Rob, and Beast Boy currently are) that Star/Rob, BB/Rae, Cy/someone exists; and in the alternate reality it will be the love square I was referring to earlier: Rae/Rob/Cy/BB. Rob and Star will probably also be together for a part of it (it all depends on what happens with the square, really) and if Raven gets up with Robin, then Star will be with Speedy. Tell me what you think, it'll help!

So, now for a little poll:

**Who do you think Raven should be with in the Alternate Reality:**

Robin

Cyborg

Beast Boy

Starfire (Just kidding… sort of. XD)

Please review, it makes a writer happy! )


	3. Maniac Monday

_Though she had forgotten many things from the past, another thing she hadn't forgotten was that she couldn't feel emotions, and rarely ever portrayed them. _

_Yet there she had just now. Raven thought about it for a moment… and smiled. Perhaps this new turn out wouldn't be that bad after all…_

Chapter 3: Maniac Monday

Raven couldn't have been more wrong. It had just felt like she had climbed into bed when she was suddenly being ushered out of it by her purposive mother. The woman was frantic, listing things like homework checks, lunches, and what to wear. After finally pushing the mother out and earning some privacy, she paled. She hadn't even thought of what Rachel wore on a daily basis. She walked cautiously over to the dresser, hesitating for a moment. What was going on? Raven felt lost, but she pulled open the top drawer nevertheless.

A sigh of relief came immediately at the sight before her. In the dresser were neatly folded black shirts, as well as blue jeans. It was also the same way in the second drawer, with the exception that now the shirts were a navy blue and the jeans were black. Talk about variation…

A chuckle escaped her throat, and Raven's eyes widened. Sure, it wasn't anything much, but for her to… chuckle… Raven dismissed it for now, and went to dress.

She came out of her room a minute later looking indeed very decent. Out of her _huge _selection of clothes (sarcasm), she chose to wear the black top and dark blue jeans. She'd wear the others tomorrow. For now, she had other things to think about…

Raven blinked when she saw that a lunch had already been prepared for her. It consisted of a tuna sandwich, a small can of Coca-Cola and a bag of something, which Raven assumed to be chips. A cup of peaches sealed the package. Not really caring what she had to eat (at least, for the moment), Raven grabbed the lunchbox and headed towards the front door, where the violet haired woman was pacing. Raven blinked at this. Why was she so stressed about getting to _school _on time?

After thinking this, she realized what she had just thought. She was going to school.

Raven, Rachel, whomever, was going to school. The thought couldn't have been more stressful.

Getting outside was almost a relief from the tense energy of the house. Her mother, Arella Roth (she had found this out on an envelop addressed to her), took driver's seat of the car she owned. It was a Subaru Forrester, one of the highest rated cars for safety in its class. Raven took shotgun, musing slightly that a backpack was conveniently waiting for her when she entered. However, her thoughts went back to what she had just thought.

_Subaru Forrester, highest rated cars for safety… _Why would Arella have something like that?

The sounds of the tires screeching and the sudden acceleration of the vehicle answered the question a minute later. Raven classified this as one of her most terrifying moments of her life.

------------------------------

Raven was unusually happy as she saw the tall structure of the high school before her. Arella pulled off to the side and abruptly stopped, causing Raven to jerk forwards on her seatbelt. She coughed slightly in embarrassment as she saw that people had been watching. Trembling a little, Raven got out of the car, grabbed her stuff, and bid her parental unit goodbye. Arella smiled gently and literally flew off onto the streets once more, heading home. Raven bit her lip as she just… stood there. She hadn't thought of what she was to do when she actually _got_ here.

Whatever the case, it was certainly A LOT better to be out of that car. During the short 10-15 minute trip, they nearly had three collisions, had passed three red lights, and had been flagged down by a police car. The man, ending up being a friend of Arella's, merely warned her and left to continue his shift. Raven knew she deserved much more than just a warning, but didn't rise the issue.

She turned quickly to head towards the front of the school when she suddenly slammed into something. She fell over (her backpack ended up being a LOT heavier than she had expected, causing gravity to pull her down sharply) and hit the concrete like she had the day before. She looked up, expecting to see an angry jock.

His cocky grin was the first thing she saw.

"You know, I find it interesting, how you and I keep literally running into each other…" He laughed, offering his hand out like he had done the day before. Raven accepted and was pulled up. She blushed, embarrassment clear on her face. He just smiled, apparently not taking notice to her behavior. Truth be told, he was enjoying this.

"Sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going…" Raven apologized, looking up at him. Richard's eyes sparkled.

"I know, you were watching that Subaru turn the bend. Man, that driver is fast! It's a wonder that it doesn't get pulled over by police every day." He gazed down at her and realized that she was silent. "Hey, what's wrong? You don't look too pleased."

"That driver is my mother." Raven sighed. Richard's face dropped, now rethinking the comment he just stated.

"Erm, uh… sorry, I didn't know." He looked a bit nervous.

"It's alright, I actually agree with you."

"You do?"

"Yeah, she is quite the maniac when she drives…"

"I can only imagine…" Silence reigned for a moment, and then both shared a laugh together. The sound of the bell cut them short, and they sighed. Raven bit her lip, realizing that she didn't know anything about this school. She didn't know where or even what her classes were. She looked at Richard in anxiety, the teen in subject turning to head for the door. He looked back and realized that Raven hadn't moved.

"Hey Rachel, you'll be late for Biology! Come on, we haven't got all day!" Raven thanked the gods that she had met Richard. Otherwise, she would have been doomed for sure. She quickly rushed over to him, who held the door open for her. She shared her gratitude in two words (thank you) and so began her first day in the school life.

----------------------------

Robin sped over the streets of Jump City quickly, searching for any sign of their lost friends. Robin especially worried for Raven, the eerie quiet that came from the communicator disturbed him. The last time Raven had gone missing was when Beast Boy turned into the beast within and she ended up being unconscious for hours. Now, however, they had no lead on what happened. There were no clues, everything was just peaceful…

A scrap of blue material caught his eye immediately, and the R-cycle screeched to a stop as he slammed on the brakes. He jumped off and ran over, picking up the small cloth and examining it. It was a dark, navy blue, the same color of Raven's cloak. He looked at it with a small glimmer of hope. Here was the first clue he was looking for. He glanced around for anything else, but noticed nothing that could help him, save one.

There were scratches on the pavement from something being dragged over it. Instinctively he knew that only something heavy and metal could cause what he saw before him. And with that, he drew out the conclusion that, wherever Raven was, Cyborg was with her.

That gave him some relief, knowing that the titans in question weren't alone, but that caused a whole new problem. With two members missing, could the remaining three handle the crime abundant in this city?

An alarm went off from a nearby bank. They would just have to find out.

-------------------------------

"… And that is your assignment today. Come back tomorrow with the report for full marks, otherwise I'll count it as late and will give it a zero." Mr. Sullivan stated, pointing with a stick to the topics that they could choose. Among them were things like the carbon cycle and bioremediation. Most of the students groaned in protest. How could they write a 5 page paper on something as boring as that?

Raven looked up from the notes she took during the period. In only an hour they had managed to cover over four pages, front and back. The teacher was a true genius.

During the class she had gotten to know some of the students better; there was Garfield, the class clown; Kori, the enthusiastic wonder; Tara; Kori's partner-in-crime; and Roy Harper; the "cool" wonder. All the girls goggled at him with the exception of Tara and Kori, who pretended to ignore the famous archer's existence.

Only just recently, Roy had won the Archery World Championship. His accuracy was to be admired; it was perfect and deadly. Roy Harper had been placed in the Royal Hall of Fame because of this, and he even had his own star in Hollywood's infamous walkway. It was safe to say that he was well admired by women all around the world.

Of course, he enjoyed every minute of it.

One familiar face that Raven was very relieved to see was Richard. Though he was just as cocky as his classmates (or even more so, she soon realized), his assuring smile and the way he laughed helped settle her in a bit. As she calmed her nerves she began answering more and more of Mr. Sullivan's questions, which surprised the entire room. In the past, Raven; or better known as Rachel here, had never said a word. They didn't know if anything was wrong through those lifeless eyes; but now…

Her eyes were shining with a brilliance and lively look that they had never seen before. It made some people to murmur quietly to one another in wonder, which caused an annoyed look from the teacher.

The ringing of the bell sounded and announced the end of the class. Raven threw her books in her backpack; not quite knowing what to do after she left the room. How would she know where to go? It was sheer luck that she had the same first class as Richard, but she doubted that she had many more with him. Thinking about it she walked forward and bumped into someone. How many times was she going to do this? She had never been clumsy, yet she kept running into people…

She went to apologize and stopped about halfway through. She had almost assumed it would be Richard, as it was soon becoming quite a routine between the two of them.

However, this was not Richard.

She stared at the teenager in front of him who just stared back, his mouth slightly agape. His eyes were an emerald green; beautiful and innocent looking. His hair was blonde and hung loosely around his head; his expression was full of surprise. Neither of them said a word, they just… stared.

After a minute, Raven finally got the courage to break the silence.

"Hi…" She muttered, almost wincing at how pitiful that sounded.

"Hey, um, hi." The boy replied back. They continued to stare at each other. Soon laughter filled their ears. They turned to find the source.

Richard came up to them, wearing another of those grins on his face.

"You should see the two of you!" He laughed again in merriment. The two in turn went red and looked away.

"Would you get out of my room already? I have another class up next block, you know." Mr. Sullivan began to shoo them out by waving his hands and the stick he still held in his right hand. The trio quickly rushed to get out, Raven behind the two guys.

"Oh hey, wait. Rachel, could I talk to you for a moment?" The teacher called out to her, and it took her a bit to stop. She still wasn't used to being called that, no matter how often she heard it. Reluctantly she hung back and hoped that Richard and the other guy would wait for her. She had no idea how long the breaks were here. She walked over to stand in front of Mr. Sullivan, who looked down at her with a soft gaze.

"I just wanted to see how you are doing, because you've never answered so many questions before… Having a surge of inspiration, perhaps?" He stared expectantly at her for another answer, hoping to see that his hypothesis was correct.

"I'm doing fine, Mr. Sullivan, thanks." He smiled his approval.

"Well, that's good. I'll see you tomorrow then, have a good day!"

"You too." Raven left and was happy to see that the boys hadn't ditched her. She walked towards them while they were talking.

"Oh, Garfield, you should have seen the look on your face! It's like you've never seen her before man!"

The boy, Garfield, was silent for a moment. Then he gave out his own version of a cocky grin. Seeing this, Raven inwardly groaned. It seemed that _all _the guys here had the cockiness that she had seen in Richard. Well, so much for originality…

Garfield was about to reply when he realized that Raven, or rather, Rachel in his view, was staring at him. Immediately he changed his expression and blushed. What was with him? Richard saw her confusion.

"He thinks you're pretty, Rachel. Isn't that obvious?" Garfield became a deeper shade of red, trying to deny it by the shake of his head.

"He's lying, I swear!" However, the way his voice wavered proved that that wasn't the case at all. Raven blinked. This was exactly how people before had acted, and she could barely see their faces… The blurry image vanished as soon as it came. Disappointment filled her figure, but it was quickly dropped as Richard caught her attention.

"Hey, what class do you have next?" Richard asked, suddenly curious. Raven's heart dropped. So she was right, she didn't have every class with him. What was she meant to do now?

"Dude, she's in my P.E class, remember? You visited us with that fake pass last time." Both boys laughed at the memory. Later on the same day, the Physic. Ed teacher had found out that Richard had forged the pass and had been put into detention for a week. Not that he cared; he found it quite fun to hang out with the other detention students.

Raven didn't listen as the story was played out, she was more relieved that she knew which class that she had to go to next. That and the fact that there was someone familiar in there, even if he was still quite new to her. Another bell, or rather, an electronic version of it went off. Raven widened her eyes in surprise. What did that mean?

"Well, I have to go to Math, to see you two love birds later!" Richard laughed as he ran off towards the Math pod. Raven silently stared after the figure as he turned the corner and disappeared. Her glance then changed over to Garfield, who was blushing a fierce red in embarrassment.

"Um, we should go, we'll be late otherwise…" Leading the way, Garfield and Raven made it just before the final, real bell went off. Raven gave a sigh of relief and Garfield gave a victory dance, causing Raven's mouth to gape. Another memory flashed into her head, but unlike the last vision, this was quite vivid. The green shape-shifter looked as real as if he was standing right in front of her. She reached forwards to touch him, not wanting him to go away…

Her hand landed on Garfield's shoulder, who jumped and spun around quickly.

"Whoa, just you, Rachel. Trying to sneak up on me, eh?" He asked in a joking tone. Raven almost looked disappointed to see Garfield there instead of… She sighed. _Beast Boy…_

"Mr. Logan!" A sharp, shrill voice yelled. Garfield jumped again and spun a 180, coming face to face with the Physical Education teacher. "Would you stop flirting with Miss Roth so she can get changed?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Garfield gave a military salute.

"Mr. Logan, you don't have to be so extreme." The teacher saw him slump slightly, and laughed. "Do you like to role-play, Mr. Logan?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Garfield repeated.

"Well then, drop and give me twenty!" Garfield paled but immediately took the order, going up and down. The teacher looked at Raven with a twinkle in her eyes. Obviously the teacher liked to tease Garfield Logan, and it came to be amusing to the other classmates.

"Care to explain why you're still standing there, Miss Roth?" Raven got out of her deep thought and blushed a bit.

"Sorry, a random thought just came into my head…"

"Want to share it?"

"Well no, not really…"

"Then move it, Miss Roth, class has started four minutes ago!" Raven quickly rushed off to comply. Of all, this teacher was not one to be ignored.

Raven reappeared only moments later in her tracksuit. Rachel had quite a trend with blue and black, she found. The sneakers were Reeboks. Raven walked over to Garfield, who was doing the required stretches for the course. Raven soon copied his every move, for the teacher stared at her with a look that clearly said, "I'm watching you…".

"So, Rachel…" Garfield started, panting as he was doing his push-ups. He did them rather quickly, as it was a routine that the teacher would make him do extra.

"Yes?" Raven breathed, finishing up her push ups and sitting on the floor, waiting for further instruction.

"How come you've opened up recently? You never used to be this interactive with people, least of all Richard or myself." Garfield stopped his own exercise to look at her with a serious expression. Raven thought a moment before answering.

"You wouldn't believe me." She looked away.

"Try me." He said, gently shaking her arm to get her attention. She looked back at him and realized how sincere his eyes looked. Wasn't he meant to be the jokester? A person's personality seemed to change just by hanging out with her. Interesting…

"Well, that's the problem. I don't really know…"

"Dude, you sound like that cartoon character from television a few years back. The show was due for a 6th season, but Cartoon Network never gave it the green light to go. If I can remember-" Raven cut him off.

"Can you tell me what happened to this… cartoon character?" It almost sounded odd coming out of Raven's mouth, for she had never cared for cartoons. She was always seen reading a large novel, whether it be this reality or the one parallel to it.

"Well, it was kinda odd… but really cool. The character was searching for a portal that the entire team was looking for, but she was the only one to find it. It actually went to suck her in until she was saved by-"

"Cyborg…" Raven murmured. Garfield looked at her in surprise.

"You've seen that series?"

"Oh, you have no idea…"

"You two!" Raven and Garfield jumped at the sound of her voice. "Give me laps, laps, laps!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Garfield quickly jumped and began to race around the room. Raven followed suit after a moment's hesitation, never leaving Mrs. Weston's gaze. As Raven left to do her own laps, Mrs. Weston gave a small, unheard hmm that was inaudible to everyone else. Rachel had _never_ run laps before… Perhaps Garfield was having a positive influence on her?

What a weird thought that was…

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After what seemed like ages, the bell finally rang to signal the end of the period. Raven, though at that time out of breath from all of the countless activities, was quite pleased with how her schedule was turning out. During the class she had bonded to Garfield a bit; she now considered him a friend like Richard. Not only that, but he introduced her to Tara, whom she had Biology with earlier. Tara ended up being quite a character, very into making practical jokes like Garfield.

Tara was a natural blonde with blue eyes. She loved to wear the colors of the earth (it was not surprising to see black, brown, and yellow in her attire) and was quite the nature lover herself. Raven soon found out that not only did she have Tara in Biology and Physical Education, but also in her Language Arts class. The most convenient part of it all was that Language Arts, or rather, English, was next block. It would occupy two periods: one before and one after lunch. Though the schedule this school kept was very unusual to the ones she had heard about, she didn't mind it all too much. She was becoming friends with people, and that was all that mattered at the present moment.

Ah, sharing emotions was bliss…

_To Be Continued…_

Author's Note: Another update in only a day! Aww, you must all be proud of me. Hey, I am! This has been the longest chapter I've written for ANY of my stories. 3545 words is not the norm for me, so I'm pretty pleased. I'm a dedicated individual. Anyway, I just wanted to give some praise to the people that reviewed:

Tecna

Childe at Heart

SneakyNeeky

You three gave me inspiration, so thank you!

As for the rest of you… Reviews are very much appreciated. It inspires the writer to write more (ask anyone around, they'll agree with me) and makes them feel loved. Hey, I know people are reading this story, 100 hits and it just started two days ago! Let's party!


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